Buyer's Guide: Choosing Winter Work Gloves

Winter can make dangerous work even more hazardous without the right equipment. Cold hands are slow, painful, and hard to work with. Add rain, snow, or ice to the mix and you’ve got a host of other problems.

The right pair of high-quality winter work gloves keep your hands warm, dry, and strong, so you can work comfortably and safely no matter what the weather brings.

With nearly endless options available, choosing the right pair can be a challenge. You need gloves with the right combination of features to suit the kind of work you’re doing as well as your personal preferences for fit and comfort.

This guide will help you find that elusive perfect pair. Here’s what you need to know.

What to Look for in Winter Work Gloves

As a starting point, any great pair of winter work gloves should have the following two features:

1. A lining for warmth (such as fleece or faux fur)
2. A waterproof layer to keep your hands dry

This ensures your hands stay warm and dry, but depending on the nature of your work, you’ll need to look for other, more specialized features too.

The Right Insulated Gloves for Your Work

You can’t do your work if your gloves don’t work for you. You’ll also want to find a pair with all the features that your work demands. The best winter work gloves will also fit comfortably and feel great to wear.

Gloves for Potentially Hazardous Work Sites

For this kind of work, safety is a huge priority. You need reliable grip control on any surface -- dry, wet, or oily. Look for insulated gloves with an oil- and petrochemical-resistant grip. Ideally, you also want impact protection from fingertip to wrist that bends with your hands as you move them. Our HM® Deep Winter gloves are a good example.

In addition to insulation, grip control, and impact protection, some people also want gloves with cut-resistant palms and abrasion resistance, like our Deep III Pro Winter gloves, which are specifically designed for potentially dangerous work that requires high-level performance, like:

• Gas and oil drilling
• Construction
• Extrication
• Rigging
• Tool pushing
• Mining
• Search and rescue

Gloves that Maximize Comfort and Convenience for General Work

In some cases, you just need great quality gloves for general outdoor work, such as work with light power tools, light-duty construction, manufacturing, home maintenance, and more. In this case, you want good grip control and high-quality insulation for warmth.

You might also look for a touch-screen enabled fingertip and thumb so you can quickly and easily stop to use your phone without having to remove your gloves. Our Year Round Comfort gloves will keep your hands warm and dry all year.

Choosing the Right Fit for Comfort and Function

High-quality gloves are built to last and made with good quality materials. They should be comfortable and offer enough dexterity for you to do your work. Avoid gloves that are overly bulky, pokey, stiff, or generally uncomfortable.

You also want to make sure your gloves are the right size. Gloves that keep slipping can be a safety issue as well as being uncomfortable. On the flip side, too-tight gloves can make it hard to move your fingers, which can also be unsafe. Measure your hands and check sizing charts before you buy.

Final Thoughts

Choosing an excellent pair of winter work gloves is a personal decision that involves safety considerations, comfort, fit, durability, specialized features, price, and other preferences you might have.

Are you ready to buy new winter work gloves? Want more advice on how to choose the right pair for you? Contact us and ask us your questions!